Cities Shaped Like Animals - True Art

Here are the plans for a Rhino-shaped city in Sudan as
will be visible from the sky. Source: VOA News.

Instead of simply calling cities like NYC "The Big Apple", why not actually make them shaped like fruit, or even animals? The government of Southern Sudan in northeastern Africa (south of Egypt) has decided to do exactly so by commissioning artists and landscape architects. Way to take art into the real world!

Although still in the planning stage, many new and old cities have been lined up to become shaped like animals such as rhinos, pineapples and giraffes. The shapes won't be assigned randomly, but will be based on the regions/cities national fruit or animal. To my knowledge, this is the first instance in history where something like this has been undertaken – and will truly remain visible for centuries. Perhaps in ancient history, there was no need to do so, as no flying machines existed – but now, given modern commercial flights, shaping cities like still-lifes has a great touristic and artistic value.

They're even turning former slum cities, into nice, modern places for all social classes to live. The government is planning big expenditures here, and this will be a rather costly project ($10-billion USD).

A turbulent self-governing region of Sudan, Southern Sudan has seen many atrocities in it's history – and is currently a place of high poverty, very poor health, and high occurrence of HIV/AIDS. Perhaps these investments will help those who need it most – not only help with physical living conditions (e.g. cleanliness and a disease-free environment), but also on the moral side – provide a happier place for people.

VOA News reports on the intricacies of Southern Sudan's animal-shaped cities and discusses several key points for it's future development:

The Undersecretary for Housing and Physical Planning, Daniel Wani, says he hopes the plans will demonstrate the housing ministry’s desire to think creatively about how to remake southern Sudan for the future.

“This is very innovative. That is our thinking. It is unique,” says Wani. “It is from the Ministry of Housing thinking innovation; that we have to be different, so that people can see what we are trying to tell them.

But the plan may also send a very different message – one about the planning capacity of a government still trying to recover from decades of war.

A lack of government oversight is already thought to have resulted in the loss of billions of dollars through corruption and poor management since the war between northern and southern Sudan ended in 2005.

Southern Sudan’s total annual budget this year is less than $2 billion. But the ministry says it can get the additional funds needed for this project through private financing.

Wani says it is important that the plan go forward in order to reinvigorate southern Sudan’s major cities.

There you have it! Something to look forward in the New Year, or at least coming years. I wish you all a happy 2011, by the way!